Faktor 5 delivers

November 21 - Lee & Muirhead used its Goldhofer Faktor 5 high girder bridge to transport a 405-ton (367.4-tonne) generator stator over a distance of 500 km (310 miles) in India.

The complete rig, comprising a 2 x 18 axle THP/SL combination plus the Faktor 5 bridge, had an overall weight of 752 tons (682 tonnes). The journey took three months to complete.

Lee & Muirhead said that there are multiple road restrictions across the Indian Subcontinent. Furthermore, only 50 percent of the 3.3 million km (2.05 million mile) road network is hard surface, with few multi-lane roads.

Along the route, Lee & Muirhead had to negotiate more than 150 multi-span bridges and numerous other obstacles. A 15 km (9.3 mile) stretch of the route had so many tight bends that the stator had to be moved onto an 18 axle split combination, while the Faktor 5 was completely dismantled.

Having passed through this narrow stretch of road, the Faktor 5 was reassembled and the convoy was able to continue its journey as planned. "Thanks to the support we received from the Goldhofer team, we were able to handle such obstacles without any major problems," said Ruchit Saraf, head - project and transportation.

Lee & Muirhead said a particular challenge for the convoy was passing under several overhead structures. On one occasion, the Faktor 5 had to be completely lowered to pass under a railway bridge, leaving a clearance of just 4 cm.